Beginnings & Endings
by totallymeagain
Summary: This is a new fanfiction about Home and Away. The main characters will be Charlie, Brax, Heath and Bianca. This story involves spoilers. I hope you will all enjoy it! Please review so I can make this story better! Thanks for reading!
1. Chapter 1

_Hi! I have written a new fanfiction about Home and Away. The main characters will be Charlie, Brax, Heath and Bianca. I have no idea how long this story will be, it depends on my inspiration. I hope you will enjoy it, here comes the first chapter. Please review so I can live up to your expectations and make your wishes come true!_

_This story is set after Casey has been sent to juvenile detention and Brax has shared a kiss with Hayley (as most of us know will happen in the upcoming episodes)._

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><p>'Heath, please, I need to go now' Bianca laughed. She started collecting her clothes from the floor and got out of the middle Braxton's bed. 'Oh come on, stay, we haven't had sex today yet' Heath joked. 'Heath, I am serious… last night was great, but I am not interested in a full time relationship with you, you know that' Bianca told him. 'Who is talking here about a relationship?' Heath asked her whilst kissing her neck. 'Hmm, you make it so hard to resist' Bianca moaned. 'Then don't' Heath claimed 'come back to bed… with me'. Bianca turned around and pressed her lips against his. 'That is tempting' she said catching her breath. 'I know' Heath replied whilst pulling her onto the bed. 'Okay, I'll be back in a second' Bianca finally gave in. She picked up her panties and bra, put it on and went through the living room in search of the bathroom.<p>

'Oh, hi' Brax said pretty embarrassed 'I didn't know you were here'. 'Oh god, yeah… likewise' Bianca replied whilst her cheeks turned red. She rushed to the bathroom, too embarrassed to even look at Brax again. Brax just stood there, trying to hold back his laugh. He had seen his lots of his brother's sleepovers like that, Heath does sleep around a lot. But he didn't think his brother could actually get a woman like Bianca to sleep with him once, let along twice. Brax decided to go to the beach to give Heath and Bianca some space, after all he couldn't be in the same house knowing what his brother was doing!

After Heath and Bianca had their moment of passion that morning, Bianca finally got out of the bedroom and was all ready to leave. 'Do you want to hang out with me tonight?' Bianca asked. 'I thought we weren't getting into any kind of relationship?' Heath replied with a cheeky grin on his face. 'We aren't, you clearly don't know my definition of hanging out' Bianca said playfully. 'Oh I see, I do have Darcy tonight though… I don't think she fits into your hanging out-plan' Heath said whilst putting his arms around her waist. She stroked his chest and he could notice the disappointment on her face. 'However, she has been whining for ages to spend some time with her uncle Brax' Heath answered 'So, maybe he is willing to do some babysitting tonight'. 'You think he would want to do that' Bianca said whilst the smile on her face could light up a room. 'I'll call him, but I don't think it will be a problem' Heath said. With that, Bianca got through the door of the house where the two brothers lived. She still had that gorgeous smile on her face and didn't want to hide it just yet.

Colleen Smart entered the diner excited like a little child. 'Guess what I just saw' she said to Leah and Bianca at the counter. 'No, I don't want to hear it' Leah replied 'last week you claimed that a customer had stolen your new scarf, whilst you only forgot him at home and accused her for nothing'. 'No, no, this time I am sure' Colleen didn't give up 'I saw Bianca coming out of the house where those Braxtons live this morning'. 'So..' Leah replied giving her a disapproving look. 'So, if a woman leaves a guy's house with a smile on her face like that, it can only mean one thing' Colleen continued. 'What is that Colleen?' Charlie said amused. 'You know what I am talking about sergeant, besides I don't want to gossip… that is not in my nature… however' Colleen started again. 'Just take these orders to table two please' Leah cut her off.

'Oh you, listen to me very carefully I will only say this once… you and your brother need to know that you can't corrupt the mind of innocent women like that, just because you guys claim to own the Bay, doesn't mean…' Colleen told Brax who just walked into the diner. 'What did I do?' Brax asked her, not knowing what in the world she was talking about. 'Leah, can I have two coffees to go please?' Brax asked Leah completely ignoring Colleen. A shiver went through Charlie's body as the one man who could make her knees go weak gave her a nervous smile. 'Don't you pretend you don't know what I am talking about' Colleen continued 'I saw Bianca coming out of your house this morning'. 'So…' Brax said smiling 'Thanks Leah'. 'Look, I don't know what she was doing there' Brax defended himself 'Maybe Heath does'. Brax walked out of the diner and gave Heath a pat on the back. Brax was glad to be out of there, it felt weird to be in one room with Charlie. His heart had skipped a beat when he saw her sitting there, but then it was too late to walk out of the diner without being seen. He is constantly thinking about her, but he decided he would try to pick up the pieces of his life. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, deep down he knew he would never forget her, but she didn't want him anymore and he had to stop pretending there was a chance of them getting back together.

Heath had walked into the diner and he had heard his brother saying 'Maybe Heath does'. 'What is this about me?' Heath asked. 'Sorry to disappoint you Mrs Smart, but I am not into older women' he said amused. Colleen couldn't believe what she had just heard, however, like always, she had her answer ready. 'I know the reputation of you and your brother, you like to fool around with innocent young women, you take advantage of them to have premarital sexual intercourses' Colleen lectured him. 'The people from Summer Bay won't let their daughters, sisters and friends become the victim of that little plan of yours' Colleen said, still not finished telling Heath what to do… or better, what not to do. 'So are we allowed to have a drink with women? Go on a date? Am I allowed to kiss my date and the end of the night or is that too forward of me?' Heath replied clearly not impressed by Colleen's outburst. 'You know, why don't you explain the rules to me and Brax sometime aye?' Heath smiled. 'Not tonight though, we both have dates with a beautiful blonde, some other time aye?' Heath said. When he said that last sentence, he looked Charlie straight in the eye and he could see her pain. Happy with himself, he returned to the beach. This had been a amazing day so far: he had some great sex with the object of his desire, he was looking forward to them 'hanging out' again tonight and he managed to make archenemy Buckton feel like shit.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it so much! Here is my next chapter… I hope you will like it!

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><p>Charlie sat on her desk at work, she couldn't stop thinking about what Heath had said earlier that day. Brax is going on a date, probably with that blonde lawyer named Hayley. She remembered how she saw them kissing, it wasn't passionate, but it broke Charlie's heart. She lost him, she had to deal with the consequences… if only that wasn't so god damn hard. 'Hey sarge, we've got a complaint about sound pollution, lets go' one of the other officers told her. Charlie got up from her desk and was brought back to reality. She looked at the piece of paper where he had written the address on, it was right across Brax' place. 'Great' she thought to herself 'Can this day get any worse?'.<p>

The officer and Charlie drove through the street where the noise should have come from according to the complaint. They didn't hear any noise, the merry-makers probably knew they were coming to decided to keep low profile for a while. Charlie knew what standard procedure was: asking the neighbours if they had heard something. They had knocked on every door in the street, except the Braxton house. Charlie was dreading this moment. 'Please, don't let him be home… or worse, don't let "her" be there' she thought to herself. They knocked, they heard a noise, someone was home, that is for sure. 'Officers, how can I help you?' a surprised Brax asked after he opened the door. 'I am sorry to bother Mr Braxton, but we had a complaint about sound pollution, we were wondering if you had heard anything' the other officer replied. 'No, not that I know of' Brax wasn't going to help them, the neighbours told him politely that they were having a party tonight and that there is no party without music. Brax told them not to worry about it, he didn't mind.

'Can we come in?' the other officer asked. 'Why would you want that?' Charlie thought to herself whilst looking at him in a confused way. 'We think they will go back to making noise as soon as we left, if we can hide here for a while, we can be here on time to catch them' Charlie's colleague continued. 'Do I have a choise?' Brax asked, he didn't want his neighbours to get into trouble, after all they were just starting to get along. 'No, sorry' the officer answered. Brax opened the door further and Charlie was scared to walk in, to find "her" there, she didn't want to walk in on them having a romantic night. She couldn't deal with that, her hands trembled.

'Hey, what is going on?' a voice said. 'Nothing sweetie, these people are just visiting us' Brax answered. Charlie sighed in relief… Darcy sat on the couch. 'As long as you don't mind that we are watching Cinderella? I love that movie, it is my favourite' Darcy said. Charlie smiled, not sure if it was because of what the little girl said or if it was because it was only Darcy who was there. 'Uncle Brax is making chocolate mousse' Darcy continued. 'Are you almost ready, I am hungry' she asked Brax who had gone to the kitchen. 'In a minute hunny, patience is not your main quality is it?' uncle Brax replied. Darcy gave him a fake annoyed look, she was really happy she could spend some time with her uncle. He had spend time with her in the past when he was still together with her mum, she thought of those times and it made her sad. Brax had just returned from the kitchen and when he looked at Darcy, he could she was getting tears in her eyes. 'Hey, what is wrong sweetheart?' he asked her whilst putting an arm around her. 'Nothing' Darcy replied. Brax could see she was lying and he knew she had to open up to someone about her feelings. Brax decided to bring up the subject that everyone tried to avoid the last couple of weeks.

'You miss your mum, don't you?' Brax asked and you could hear the sadness in his voice. 'I do, I mean, I am glad I have dad now, and you and Cheryl, but…' Darcy told him, tears strolling down her cheek. 'It is not the same aye?' Brax said to comfort the little girl. 'No, it is not… it used to be only me and her, me and her to face the world' Darcy said looking Brax in the eye so he could see her pain. 'Now, I miss her so badly, I know you and dad are saying she is in a better place now, but why did she have to leave me?' Darcy asked as the tears continued to flow. 'Honestly sweetie, I don't know, your mum had a terrible accident and I wish I could turn back time for you, but I can't' Brax told her, not knowing if it would help. 'Your mum would have wanted you to have a great life' Brax continued 'She is probably watching over you right now, wishing she could ease the pain you are feeling right now'.

'You think so, is she still thinking about me?' Darcy asked. 'Of course she is, she loved you more than anything in the entire world, you were her world and is probably really proud of you right now' Brax said trying to reassure the little girl. 'Why?' Darcy asked. 'Because you have been such a good girl lately, you know you are the one making this house a happy place… I had been talking to your dad today about how great it is to have you here, your smile lights up a room' Brax said. 'I love being here as well, grandma is nice… but she is so old and boring' Darcy said. 'Maybe me and your dad can arrange with your grandmother that you can come here more often then, would you like that?' Brax asked her. 'Really? I would love that!' Darcy replied whilst throwing her arms around his neck out of gratitude. 'Me too angel, me too' Brax said with a big smile on his face. He continued to stroke her hair and he heard she had stopped crying. He pulled her arms away from his neck and said 'Lets watch the rest of the movie aye? I want to know how it ends'. 'Really?' Darcy said 'We have watched it like five times before, you know how it ends'. 'Then I must have forgotten' Brax joked. He knew it was Darcy favourite movie and that watching it would cheer her up. Darcy smiled and pressed the resume button, she crawled into Brax' arms and felt safe again. Brax was happy he could comfort her. After all, just like Heath, he would do anything for that beautiful little girl.

Charlie had watched and heard the whole scene. The other officer kept his eyes on the house across the street, but Charlie's attention was drawn to Darcy and Brax. She got a tear in her eye as well. Charlie didn't like Tegan, but she to admit Tegan had one very special daughter. Charlie felt so sorry for the little girl but also for Brax. She thought about the time where Brax thought he was Darcy's father. Even though that was a very confusing time, Brax loved being a dad. He loved to do things with Darcy, he loved to take care of her and just be there for her. Now, he knows he isn't her father, but he is still there for, trying to be the best uncle he possible can. Brax would be such a great dad one day. He talked to her about kids before. She didn't know how it was possible, but on that moment outside the Braxton the house when Casey had just run away from home, she fell even more in love with him. Now, at this exact moment where Brax was comforting his little niece, Charlie got a lump in her throat… and again, she fell even more in love with that wonderful man.

_**Thank you all so much for reading this chapter! Please review to let me know how you feel about it…**_


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you so much for the lovely reviews, I enjoy writing this fanfic and I hope you enjoy reading it. Here is the next chapter, don't worry… It is not as sad as the last one!

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><p>The next day Charlie was still thinking about what she had seen the night before. She found herself imagining a life together with Brax. In Charlie's fantasy Brax was exactly the way he was right now: funny, smart, handsome and caring. They had the perfect life in her day dream. Brax loved Ruby to death and she saw him as her stepdad, the bond between Ruby and Charlie was unbreakable and Charlie even got along with Ruby's boyfriend Casey. 'Hey mum, are you coming?' Ruby said bringing Charlie back to reality. Brax had done some changes to Angelo's and it was the big opening night. The entire town was coming and Charlie didn't want to stay away. Partly because she wanted to have some fun again, that has been a while. But also because she didn't want Brax to rule her life anymore. Day dreams like before couldn't happen anymore, she had to move on. Therefore she really had to prove to him, but mostly to herself that she was able to be with him in public without feeling weak in her knees. Tonight was the perfect night to do that. 'Waw, you look hot Charlz, sure you are not trying to impress Brax with that dress?' Ruby teased her mother. 'I think I can wear whatever I want to Ruby' Charlie snapped at her 'I am doing this for myself, I like to look great… now lets go'. 'Okay then' Ruby replied 'unsure about how Charlie would manage tonight'.<p>

When Charlie climbed the stairs of the restaurant, she felt confident. The room was going to be packed and Brax would have a busy night. They probably wouldn't have to talk to each other and she might be able to enjoy herself. When she walked through the door, she noticed the place was already very crowded. There were lots of familiar faces, but also lots of people she didn't know. Some people blocked her view, apparently they were greeting Brax and congratulating him with the restaurant. They bought flowers, Charlie didn't bring anything. Should she have bought something? She decided it was good that she didn't, it would have been ridiculous, she wasn't here for him, she was here for herself. The people went to the counter and Charlie spotted Brax. God he looked handsome, after she stared at him for a while she picked up a glass of champagne and decided to join Leah and the rest of her friends. Before she reached Leah, Charlie got interrupted by Bianca. 'Hi gorgeous, you look amazing' Bianca told her. 'Thanks, so do you… you're glowing' Charlie replied. A huge smile appeared on Bianca's face and she bit her lip. 'What is going on?' Charlie asked pretending she didn't know what was going on, after all she heard Colleen saying she saw Bianca coming out of Heath's house, Charlie was old enough to put two and two together.

Bianca grabbed Charlie's arm and tried to find a more quiet place where they could talk and more importantly, where no one could hear what they were saying. 'I slept with Heath Braxton' Bianca started 'It is crazy, I know… But it felt so good'. 'It was like he knew what I wanted, when I wanted it and how I wanted it' Bianca continued 'And now, all I can think about is doing that again!'. 'I know that it is reckless, that I am stupid and that I need to be careful, but I don't care' Bianca rambled 'I love knowing that he wants me, that he desires me, that he is picturing me naked'. 'Okay, Bianca… stop okay, stop' Charlie tried to let her friend shut up by grabbing her arms. 'I am not going to tell you what you should do or what you shouldn't do, I am not going to judge you' Charlie told her 'If you want Heath, you go after him… But I do have one question'. 'What is that?' Bianca replied. 'How about Liam?' Charlie asked, leaving Bianca flustered. 'It is your choice to make hunny, only yours' Charlie said and with that she went to the table Leah was sitting on.

The night continued and Charlie had seen lots of people giving gifts to Brax. She was wondering what he was going to do with all those flowers, she noticed he had given some to Ruby because the restaurant was way too small for all those bouquets. The thought of seeing those flowers in her living room didn't exactly make Charlie happy. However, there was no way in hell Charlie would want Hayley to have them. Thinking Hayley, where was she? Charlie thought she would have been there, but she was nowhere to be seen. Charlie wondered what was going on, but she couldn't exactly ask someone, so she decided to forget about her.

'Congratulations Mr Braxton' one of the investors told Brax whilst shaking his hand. 'Thank you Mr Johnson, I am really happy with the result' Brax replied. 'You should be, it looks very classy' the guy answered 'This is my wife Betty'. 'Hi, nice to meet you' Brax greeted her and shook her hand. 'Now, where is yours?' Mr Johnson asked Brax. 'Excuse me?' Brax asked, he didn't know what the man was talking about. 'Your wife or girlfriend, don't tell me a bloke like you doesn't have a very good-looking girl' Mr Johnson said. 'Actually I don't, not at the moment, no' Brax replied hoping that he would let it go. 'I know what your excuse will be: you don't have time, well let me tell you son, you need to make time for love, take that from a guy who has been happily married over 30 years now' Mr Johnson said, clearly not letting it go. 'Thanks for the advice' Brax said whilst smiling at him 'And congratulations, I hope I can find someone who I can spend 30 years of my life with'. Brax looked at Charlie, she was pretending to have a good time, he knew she was only pretending. But that was what scared him. Pretending she was able to be happy without him was only one step away from actually being happy without him. Mr Johnson continued to talk about marriage and commitments but all Brax could think about was Charlie. She looked absolutely stunning, he tried to ignore the fact that she was here, after all he needed to concentrate on his work. Now, he could no longer resist gazing at her. He wanted her so badly, to feel her, touch her, kiss her, talk to her… be with her.

'Do you know what my specialty is?' Mrs Johnson caught Brax' attention. Apparently Mr Johnson had left and Brax was now in a conversation with Betty. 'I can see through people, I know what they think, what they feel' Betty said. 'That is a good quality' Brax replied uninterested. 'Do you know what I see when I look at you?' Betty asked him. Brax shook his head. 'I see a man who had to deal with lots of defeats in his life, lots of pain and losses, but who now made something out of his life' Betty said 'There is one thing missing though'. 'What is that?' Brax replied, thinking she would probably say he should find himself a good wife. 'Guts' Betty replied whilst turning herself directly at Brax. 'Do you think my husband won me over the minute he talked to me?' Betty continued 'I loved him and he loved me, but somehow we always found a reason not to be together'. 'Fight for her son, I can see in your eyes that she is worth it, don't assume you have lost… It is never too late' Betty said whilst giving Brax a pat on the back and walking off... leaving Brax longing for Charlie.

_**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be fun, I promise! Please review and if you have any requests, please share them with me… Who knows, maybe I can make your wishes come through!**_


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you for all the lovely reviews, it means a lot to me! This is a happy chapter… I hope you will like it!

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><p>Charlie watched everyone dancing, the seeds next to her were empty. However, she didn't feel the need to get up from her chair and go to the dance floor. She was keeping low profile this evening. 'You're not dancing tonight?' a voice said coming from next to Charlie. 'Cheryl, hi' Charlie said. Cheryl went to sit on the chair next to Charlie, Charlie didn't know why but there was no doubt she would find out soon enough. 'No, I guess I am just not in the mood for dancing today' Charlie replied to Cheryl's initial question. 'Well, I can't blame you… most of them are just making fun of themselves' Cheryl answered. Charlie forced a smile on her face, she still didn't know where Cheryl was getting at.<p>

'Do you know what is up with them?' Cheryl asked whilst pointing at Bianca and Heath. Aha, Charlie finally knew what Cheryl's intentions were, she wanted to know more about Bianca and Heath. 'No, I have no idea' Charlie lied 'I didn't even know they got along'. 'They sure get along that is for sure' Cheryl joked whilst drinking her glass half empty. 'They should get a room or something' Cheryl continued. Charlie turned her head to look at Cheryl and widened her eyes. 'What did you just say?' Charlie asked her. Charlie found it difficult to prevent herself from laughing. 'You heard me, they look like animals ready to spring upon each other' Cheryl said pretty seriously. Charlie couldn't hide her amusement. 'Why are you laughing?' Cheryl asked her. 'I'm sorry, it is just that I didn't think you would say something like that… he is your son' Charlie tried to explain. 'So you reckon I don't know he is having sex? For god's sakes he is 25 years old, if he wasn't getting any I would be worried' Cheryl replied. 'Well, it is just that I can't see myself talking about Ruby like that, you know' Charlie said slightly blushing, she didn't feel comfortable talking to Cheryl, especially not comfortable talking about this particular subject. 'You think she is a virgin?' Cheryl said whilst looking at Charlie 'Then you are wrong, because I know for a fact that…'. 'I know, I know' Charlie interrupted, she didn't want Cheryl to finish that sentence 'I just don't like thinking about that, okay?'.

Charlie had shut up about it, in fact she didn't say a word in the last five minutes and Charlie started to feel really unease. Cheryl kept looking at Bianca and Heath whilst blurting out 'God, I want to have sex'. Charlie's mouth dropped, she had to swallow… she really didn't know what to say. 'You know, I just miss getting laid, you know what I mean… the feeling of a man's sweaty body against yours, a night of hot and steamy sex' Cheryl continued. Just when Charlie didn't know how much more awkward this could get Cheryl said those words. Charlie looked away from Cheryl, searching for a way out of this conversation but couldn't find any. 'However, men are pigs, once you sleep with them, they are satisfied and they leave you lying in the gutter like a piece of trash' Cheryl told her. 'Not all of them' Charlie tried to join Cheryl's monologue 'Find one of those exceptions, or…'. 'Or what?' Cheryl asked her. 'Or just do what they do' Charlie explained. Charlie saw Cheryl didn't get what she meant so she continued 'Just sleep with a guy and then expect nothing more, that way you can't get hurt and you still got what you wanted'. 'So you reckon I should just sleep with the first guy that comes around?' Cheryl replied jumping to the wrong conclusion 'Is that what you do? Sleep with guys then drop them whenever you feel like it?'.

Charlie wanted to correct Cheryl, she wasn't like that at all… at least with Brax she wasn't, he meant more to her than just sex. But now Cheryl thought she was indeed like that, she didn't want her to think that. She was Brax' mother, Cheryl couldn't think like that about her! 'Oi, it is alright, I am only joking, relax would you' Cheryl said almost smiling at Charlie. Charlie smiled in relief. 'You know, having sex with no strings attached is not such a bad idea' Cheryl said 'However, for women like you it is probably easy, for me on the other hand'. 'Why is that Cheryl?' Charlie asked sincerely. 'You are 30, in the prime of your live and you make heads turn whenever you walk into a room' Cheryl said honestly. Charlie felt complimented, she started blushing. 'I reckon you could turn heads yourself as well' Charlie replied 'With the right clothes and make up… you would look smoking hot, for someone your age of course'. Charlie smiled at Cheryl. Cheryl nodded and tried to say something, but didn't know what. That probably hasn't happened before. Cheryl stood up and turned to Charlie again 'Thanks for this I guess…'. 'No worries' Charlie replied not too sure about what just had happened.

Brax hadn't seen his mother's conversation with Charlie, that was probably for the best because he would have been worried the two women would have a go at each other. The rest of the evening went smoothly and Charlie even managed to get away from the restaurant without having to say goodbye to Brax.

The next day Charlie had a day off and when she got up in the morning she found herself in an empty house. She was thinking about what she was going to do today but she couldn't come up with anything satisfying. She heard a knock on the backdoor, Charlie went to open it and almost got a heart attack. Cheryl stood there, dressed like a total whore: she was wearing a way to short black leather skirt, stockings with big holes in it, killer heels and a slutty top. 'Oh my god, Cheryl, what are you wearing?' Charlie managed. 'What, you don't like it? I thought I would dress up and show you I can be sexy from time to time' Cheryl said sounding offending. 'That is anything but sexy, where did you find these clothes? How old are they?' Charlie continued, determined to make Cheryl realize that these clothes were awful. 'I found them in my closet, okay?' Cheryl explained. 'No, not okay, don't even think about going out in those clothes' Charlie said. 'Why not? You know, two guys honked when they passed me' Cheryl defended herself. 'Yeah, I am sure they did' Charlie replied 'to ask how much you cost… you look like a hooker Cheryl'. Cheryl sighed, she knew Charlie was right, one guy had asked her 'How much for one hour baby?'.

'Well, then I have to buy new clothes then' Cheryl concluded. 'Yeah, I think that is a good idea' Charlie answered. 'Honestly, I don't know where to go… I haven't gone shopping in ages' Cheryl said. 'Well, there are a few great shops in Yabbie Creek, I am sure you could find something you like there' Charlie told her. 'Yeah… I might go there' Cheryl replied whilst looking at the ground. 'What is wrong?' Charlie said noticing something was wrong with Cheryl. 'What if I choose the wrong stuff? I don't think I am a genius when it comes to fashion' Cheryl replied whilst pointing at the outfit she was wearing. 'Listen, if you have time, you perhaps wouldn't want to…' Cheryl started. 'Oh forget it, bad idea, you wouldn't want to… Bye' Cheryl continued. 'Who says I wouldn't want to come with you and in fact I do have some time and I think I can help you' Charlie said surprising Cheryl and herself with that. 'You would want to do that?' Cheryl asked sincerely. 'Yes, but you must know that shopping is hard work and if I say no, it is indeed no, deal?' Charlie proposed. 'Deal, lets go' Cheryl said enthusiastically.

_**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I think the next chapter will be a happy one as well… In fact, I know it will! :)**_


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. I really appreciate the effort and it makes me write more. Here comes the next chapter. Enjoy!

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><p>Charlie and Cheryl had spend the entire day shopping and had actually bought some great stuff. Charlie had to admit that Cheryl looked fabulous in her new clothes and Cheryl admitted herself that Charlie had some great taste and an eye for fashion. They had talked about several things and they both enjoyed themselves. Charlie was starting to see that Cheryl was more than a bad mother with an addiction, an addiction she is trying to overcome though. Cheryl on the other hand realized that Charlie was not as bad as she initially thought, she may have been a copper but Cheryl managed to forget that for a day and gave Charlie a chance.<p>

'I think we covered it all' Cheryl said satisfied when they had returned to Charlie's. 'I am not too sure about that' Charlie told her. 'Why not?' Cheryl asked her. 'We need to do something about your hair, a haircut and a new colour wouldn't hurt' Charlie explained 'And I know just the place where to go to'.

Charlie and Cheryl arrived at the Summer Bay house, luckily Marilyn was home. Charlie introduced the two ladies and Marilyn started working her magic. After two hours she had finished. All three of them were happy with the result. 'Waw, I look good' Cheryl said when she saw herself in the mirror. 'Yep, you sure do!' Charlie replied 'It is a shame you don't have a date tonight'. 'What? Me? A date? Are you serious? I haven't had a date in years!' Cheryl said surprised. 'I thought you wanted a new look to impress the opposite sex?' Charlie asked her. 'Yeah, but also for me, you know…' Cheryl tried to explain. 'I get it' Charlie answered 'But didn't you talk about some Bruce-guy this afternoon, that guy from work?'. 'Yeah well, he has implied he wanted to take me out for dinner sometime but… I don't know Charlie' Cheryl said. 'Call him, tell him you want to have dinner with him tonight, you look smoking Cheryl, it would be a shame to spend your night in front of the tv when you are looking like that' Charlie persuaded her. 'But where do we go?' Cheryl asked 'And what if I don't know what to say? What if I don't like it and I want to leave, but he doesn't want to let me go?'. 'Cheryl relax' Charlie told her 'Go to Angelo's, Brax will probably be there, so if anything goes wrong he will help you'. 'I don't know Charlie' Cheryl said. 'I do, call him! Besides I will be there as well since my housemate is treating me and Ruby on pizza tonight' Charlie said 'I hope that is no problem for you though'. 'No, I guess it is not… I think I will give him a call' Cheryl squealed like a nervous teenager.

Brax was indeed working that night and Heath stood at the bar, they were chatting when they saw their mother walking in with a man. 'What happened to her?' Heath asked his brother. 'Don't know mate, don't know' Brax answered confused. 'Mum, what are you doing here?' Brax asked when Cheryl had come to the counter. 'Aren't you going to complement me on my new look, boys?' Cheryl asked them. 'Well, I have to admit mum, you look great' Heath told her. 'Yes, I agree… you did this all by yourself, mum?' Brax asked. 'I got a little help' Cheryl replied 'But that is not important now, what is important is a free table, you have one for your poor old mother?'. 'I'll find one' Brax told her, still impressed by her new look.

Brax and Heath couldn't take their eyes off their mother and her date, they wanted to know what was going on. They managed to figure out Cheryl wanted a new look to feel good about herself again. She wanted to feel confident again, she could use that if she was going to conquer her addiction. Leah, Miles, VJ, Ruby and Charlie had entered the restaurant. Liam was serving their table so Brax didn't have to go to Charlie. It was not that he didn't want to, he just didn't know how to act around her. He was scared she could see exactly how nervous he was when she was in the room. She had rejected him repeatedly. It broke his heart but he understood. He had shared a kiss with a girl named Hayley, but he felt like he was cheating on Charlie. He realized he could not forget Charlie, he wasn't even sure he wanted to forget her. He had done some horrible things and didn't know how to make things right with her. He wanted to, he wanted to so badly… but for the first time in his life he was scared to talk to a women. Ironically, it was the one women who could change his life for good… If only…

The night progressed and Cheryl made her way towards to bathroom, Charlie joined her a few minutes after that. They didn't want to cause suspicion since they had decided not to tell anyone about the fact that they had spend a day together. They talked about how Cheryl's date went and Cheryl asked her if she had to go home with Bruce or not. Charlie advised her to do what her heart told her to do and just to make sure she wouldn't regret her decision. Cheryl promised to let Charlie know how the rest of the evening went and promised her to be careful. They managed to return to their seats without raising any eyebrows. The evening continued and Charlie had given Cheryl a few nods and reassuring looks before Cheryl and Bruce left together.

Charlie left Angelo's half an hour after that, but not before she gazed at Brax and he gazed at her. She thought he had moved on and she didn't want to hear him saying how happy he was with his new girlfriend. She has told herself every day that she has to move on. But she doesn't want to. If she is honest with herself, she knows he could have her back in a heartbeat. She misses him so much. She needs him… If only…

The next morning Brax decided to take a walk down the beach. He didn't sleep well at all. He couldn't stop thinking about his mother and what was up with her. But also, and probably more importantly, he was thinking about Charlie. He thought a walk down the beach would help him clear his head and put things into perspective. That didn't work, he still felt horrible and missed Charlie like crazy.

'Hey Brax, you are up early' a women came up to him. 'Yes, I am, I couldn't sleep' he told her. 'Me neither, my business is slow at the moment and I don't know how to fix it' she said. 'Sorry to hear that, I wish I could help you out but I am not familiar with the sector you work in' Brax laughed. 'Haha, I didn't think you were' the women told him. 'But you have helped me enough already, Brax' she continued. 'Why is that?' Brax asked, he didn't know what she was talking about. 'Your mother, her hair looked good aye?' Marilyn replied. 'Yes it did, wait a minute… she came to you?' Brax asked in surprise. 'Yeah, she did, with Charlie… I thought you knew hun' Marilyn said. He shook his head. 'Thanks for telling me though' Brax replied when Marilyn walked off.

Brax didn't know what he just heard, he decided to call his mother to ask what was going on. Cheryl told him to come over, she didn't want to explain it over the phone. Cheryl had been waiting for this moment, she had been preparing herself for this ever since she went shopping with Charlie yesterday… Cheryl knew her son would find it strange that she searched help from Charlie. But she started to like the young women. She definitely had some great qualities. Too bad Brax and Charlie had broken up. Charlie could have been the first girlfriend of one of Cheryl's boys who she actually liked. Darryl still had feelings for Charlie, she knew her son well enough to see that. She didn't know about Charlie, but she intended on finding out. Cheryl called Charlie to ask if she could come over, she had 'a wardrobe problem'…

**_Thanks for reading! Please review, it would mean so much to me. The next chapter will (finally) be a confrontation between Charlie and Brax…_**


	6. Chapter 6

_Thank you all so much for the lovely comments, I really appreciate it! I would like to say a big thank you to my friend Erika who read my chapter and made it a lot better. Thank you so much, if you hadn't helped me, this chapter wouldn't be anywhere near as good as it is now. I owe you!_

_I hope you readers will like this chapter as well, there is one more chapter coming after this one. Again, thank you so much for reading and reviewing._

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><p>Brax arrived at his mother's house as soon as he could, he wanted to know what in the world caused his mother to seek help from Charlie; of all people. Also, he wanted to know what on this earth made Charlie agree to help her in the first place. Why would she do that? For what reason? He had so many questions running through his head, each one making him more confused than the other. He parked his car further down the street; the driveway was packed with garbage which urgently needed attention from him. He made his way inside the house, only to find it empty, he found it odd that his mum wasn't there, she had arranged the meeting after all. A million possibilities went through his head, she could have had an injury or just something bad happened in general, knowing Cheryl it would never be good to think that she didn't get herself into some kind of trouble. He put his worries aside, and decided to wait in the kitchen for Cheryl to come home. He grew impatient by the second, he really needed some answers.<p>

Charlie had noticed that Cheryl sounded a bit strange on the phone when she invited her to come over, it was Cheryl Braxton, therefore she shouldn't read too much into it. She recalled the last time she was at the Braxton's house, she had been called to a domestic dispute. She was there to witness the bad side of Cheryl, she had fought with her son and Charlie's duty was to intervene, it broke her heart to see Casey being treated that way. She couldn't contemplate, as a mother, how Cheryl could do that to her youngest son. Charlie found that to be cruel and heartless, however that wasn't on Charlie's mind. That day she had seen a different side to Brax, a warmer side that she always knew existed but never completely got to see it. With everything out in the open, his family problems and all, he promised that he would never treat his children as Cheryl treated them. When she heard him say that, she swallow back her response of admiration and compassion. Ever since that moment she pictured herself with Brax and little children. Even though they went their separate ways Charlie could not stop herself from imagining a happily ever after. Caught up in her thoughts Charlie parked her car on the road and headed towards the backdoor, like Cheryl instructed, she was too busy thinking about the what could have been to notice Brax's car parked further down on the road.

"Cheryl, hello! Are you in?" Charlie called out as she opened the security door. Charlie halted immediately when she saw Brax standing in the kitchen, he was aware that she arrived, therefore making it too late for Charlie to bolt. "Hi, what are you doing here?" she asked. "I could ask you the same thing," he responded. "I asked first," Charlie explained. "Considering it is my mum's house, who by the way seems to have vanished, I have every right to be here! What's your excuse?" Charlie swallowed, trying to come up with a plausible answer, how was she meant to come up with something on the spot to cover up her and Cheryl's little dirty secret. In the end she remained silent, unable to produce a decent answer.

"I can see that both of you had found a way in," Cheryl interrupted the long stare as she walked into the kitchen. Charlie and Brax began to look at her, both were speechless. "Sit down both of you," Cheryl ordered. Charlie and Brax didn't move, "I ain't got all day, come on," she used a more powerful tone. Brax gave in first, Charlie followed taking a seat at the other end of the table.

"I think you might be wondering why you are here," Cheryl proclaimed. "I think that's what both of us would like to know," Charlie explained and Cheryl ignored her.  
>"I will tell you in a minute, but first I have to set some rules, no interrupting me at any point. Do you hear that?" Charlie and Brax nodded, still in shock at Cheryl's behaviour and intimidated by Cheryl's height leaning on both her hands on the table.<p>

"Yes Darryl, I went shopping with Charlie, that's new! I, to my surprise, ended up having a good time, and she was helpful and useful," Cheryl began making eye contact with Brax. "On the opening night of your restaurant I saw her sitting by herself, clearly having a horrible time, so I thought 'hey, I am not the only one feeling miserable," Charlie conveniently interrupted. "I didn't have a bad time," Cheryl lifted her finger to hush her, "with that sour expression you couldn't convince anyone otherwise, and Buckton learn how to take instructions. I said no interrupting," Cheryl reminded sternly. And by the way, your friends being on the dance floor and you sitting down alone, screamed discomfort. Also, when someone was talking to you, you tried to hide your annoyance, and that made it even more obvious that you were pretending to have a good time," Cheryl remarked, who was starting to get a little frustrated and angry. Charlie looked down at the table, clearly upset that her wise plan didn't work. If Cheryl hadn't bought her act, Brax certainly hadn't either. "Did I agree to come here to be offended?" Charlie raised her voice, "because in that case I think I should leave," she started to lift herself off the chair. "Sit down," Cheryl ordered, "the truth hurts, aye?"

Cheryl continued to analyse the evening, each comment had hurt Charlie. She thought she did a good job hiding her actual feelings that night, however she has had more experience than that and hit the nail on the head. Cheryl did not avoid Brax's involvement in the night, revealing her thoughts that she wasn't stupid and saw right through his facade. "When I saw you staring at her, like a crazy teenager in love, it all fell in perspective," Cheryl explained. "So I went over to her to say what's on my mind," Cheryl continued looking at Brax. "However, when I was sitting there I felt kind of sorry for her. Also I think I punished her with the talk we shared that evening," Cheryl laughed. Charlie remembered the awkward talk about sex and Charlie didn't know how to react. Her cheeks probably turned red during that conversation, as they probably were now. "I had a plan in mind Charlie," Cheryl confessed. "I was going to make you uncomfortable the whole night and let you have an even worse day after that," Cheryl continued. Charlie widened her eyes in disbelief, she couldn't believe that Cheryl had managed to play her that well, she thought that she was genuine. Impressions can be deceiving. "However," Cheryl said, "something made me change my mind and give you a chance, honestly I don't know what. Or maybe I do," Cheryl told her. "What is that?" Charlie asked, unable to hide the surprise in her tone as she was offended by Cheryl's speech. "I think you are hurting enough as it is, I don't need to add unnecessary pain," Cheryl explained. "Because of him?" Charlie asked whilst nodding her head in Brax's direction.

Charlie had regretted what she said immediately. As if it wasn't enough to have Cheryl poke in her mind so easily, she made it worse, by letting Brax know that she was hurting and that it was because of him. "Yes, that is what I think," Cheryl answered. "And if you are honest, you'll know that I am right." Charlie felt humiliated, she could sink to the ground with shame. She didn't let people come close easily, she feared being hurt. "And you, Darryl," she continued talking to her son, "when are you going to be honest with yourself?" Brax looked at her, unsure of what she meant. "Don't be stupid, you know exactly what I mean, you may think that I enjoy seeing my boys miserable, that if I'm not happy that I don't want to see you happy," Cheryl said. "Think again," Cheryl reassured, "I do want you to have a nice life, but I don't want you or your brothers to throw your life away on some high maintenance chick you barely know," Cheryl revealed, and Charlie lifted her head thinking that Cheryl was referring to her to be high maintenance. "That is rubbish mum," Brax replied, "you never even tried to…' his protest was interrupted. "Aye! Shut up and listen," she raised her voice once again.

"I am going to leave you to it now, what you say or do is in your hands right now," she paused. "If I didn't bring you together here today, you would still be the loose canons you were at the opening, running circles around each other. I am giving you a chance here," she paused for effect. "A chance to make things right, now it is down to you to take it or leave it. I don't care, honestly your little romance has no important effect on me, but if you choose to waste this perfectly good opportunity… then do me a favour and stop feeling sorry for yourselves. I can't take the sadness and pig headedness any longer, and I think it's time you came to the same conclusion, like every person that has laid their eyes on you!" Cheryl yelled, and with that she walked out of the house, handing them something serious to think about… and hopefully a lot more to talk about.

_**Thank you for reading! I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you are looking forward to the next (last) one as well! If you have some time, please review… You know it means a lot to me...**_


	7. Chapter 7

_This is the final chapter of this fanfiction. I hope this can be the cherry on the cake. I hope you loved reading the story as much as I loved writing it. I would like to thank everyone for reading and for all the lovely reviews! Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy this final chapter…_

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><p>Cheryl had just walked out of the house, Charlie and Brax were both still shocked by the recent events. They didn't know what to say or do. Neither of them wanted to walk out, but neither of them wanted to stay as well. They felt humiliated. The worst thing that could have happened took place, Cheryl showed Charlie that Brax was hurting and vice versa. After a few minutes, that looked like hours, Brax got off his chair and ran to the fridge. He turned his back to Charlie and only then found the courage to start up a conversation. 'How much jail time for killing a parent?' Brax asked. Charlie laughed awkwardly, she didn't like the joke but was glad she didn't need to take the initiative. 'I'll look it up for you' Charlie answered not knowing what to say.<p>

'Look Charlie, listen' Brax started whilst turning towards Charlie. 'No, it is okay, I get it' Charlie cut him off 'You like her, and she is nice, really'. 'What are you talking about?' Brax asked in disbelief 'Who do I like?'. 'Hayley, Casey's lawyer' Charlie answered 'I saw you kissing the other day and I am fine with it really'. 'You are?' Brax questioned her honesty 'I am so happy with that, because I really do like her, in fact I think I love her'. This was a little too much for Charlie and tears were dwelling up in her eyes, she did however restrain herself from crying. 'I never loved anyone in my entire life' Brax continued 'Until I met you, I was yours the minute I laid eyes on you that night at Angelo's, I did everything I could to make sure you wanted me as well'. 'My relationship with you could have ruined everything I had, I could have lost respect from my family, my friends if I stayed with you, Charlie, I could have even gotten myself killed' Brax told her. Charlie started to feel sick, it wasn't supposed to be like this. She was the one that could have lost everything, not him. She couldn't fight the tears anymore, she started crying in Cheryl's house because of what Brax said to her. 'Can I humiliate myself even more?' she asked herself in silence.

'But you know what sarge?' Brax asked her 'I didn't care then and I don't care now'. 'You want to know why?' Brax continued whilst you could hear the emotion in his voice 'Because, I fucking love you Charlie, how can you even think for a second that I could be happy with anyone else?' Brax yelled as he now entirely lost control of his emotions. 'Every minute of every day I think about you, I wonder where you are, what you are doing, who you are with' Brax yelled stepping closer to Charlie 'It is driving me nuts not seeing you every day, not talking to you, not touching you' Brax continued 'When I kissed her, I felt nothing, absolutely nothing'. 'I would be wrong if I told you I did it because I was trying to forget you' he said 'Because I know I can't forget you, and quite frankly I don't even want to'. 'I don't want to lose this feeling' Brax explained 'Yes, it sucks right now because I did some unforgivable things and therefore I should be happy if you ever even such as speak to me again'. 'But you Charlie, you make my heart skip a beat when I see you, my hands tremble when I am talking to you' Brax continued, clearly spilling out all the emotions he hid for so long 'I hated this feeling at first because I couldn't control it, but now I don't give a shit anymore, my feelings for you have taken control over my life and I have no idea what to do about that!'. Brax stopped, he has let it all go. He felt relieved, but angry at the same time. Relieved that he finally told Charlie about his true feelings, but angry that it took him this long to find the courage to do it.

Charlie listened to Brax' revelation. She always wanted him to open up to her when they were together, now he finally did it. She felt like she was glued to the floor. There was so much she wanted to tell him, but she couldn't find the words. What was she supposed to say to the man who had just declared his love for her? She meant everything to him and he meant everything to her. Staying away from him was the hardest thing she ever had to do. And for what? So she could feel as miserable as ever. 'I need you Brax' Charlie managed 'I want to be with you'. 'But I have so many things to consider' she continued. Brax nodded, he knew he blew his last chance, but that hadn't stopped him from telling her how he felt. 'However, the more I try to forget you, the harder it gets and I am sick of it' Charlie said honestly 'What you just said about your feelings describes exactly the way I am feeling right now Brax'. The tears came back, strolling down her face. 'You don't know how much I want to run over to you right now and kiss you' Charlie told him. 'Yes, I do…' Brax said whilst walking towards her.

'Knock, knock, anyone it?' Heath said whilst entering his mother's house. 'Aye bro, what are you doing here? Mum needed cash again?' he asked his brother. Heath could sense that there was tension in the room and when he saw Charlie he knew why. 'Look who is here? My good friend Buckton' Heath joked although he knew his joke was inappropriate, he just didn't know how to act in these kind of situations. 'Say hi to Bianca for me, would you?' he continued. 'Oh no, wait a minute… I will probably see her in my bed tonight, so don't bother' Heath laughed.

'You never heard of tree is a crowd, Heath?' Cheryl who had just came in asked her son. 'Jeez mum' Heath replied whilst counting the people in the room 'You should really learn how to count, I can fix you up with a great school teacher, as a matter of fact…'. 'Shut up' Cheryl said unimpressed by Heath's cockiness. She grabbed an orange and threw it in Heath's direction. 'Come on, get out of here' Cheryl ordered strongly. Heath rolled his eyes, but didn't move from the spot. Charlie and Brax laughed as they realized this was an embarrassing situation, but also a very humouristic one. 'Do you really want me to throw the pineapple at you?' Cheryl asked after she had picked the piece of fruit up from the fruit bowl. Charlie couldn't hold back her laugh. 'If I were you, I'd get the hell out of here mate' Brax advised his brother seriously 'You wouldn't want her to pick up the watermelon as well'. This caused Charlie to laugh even harder, however, she was the only one in the room amused by Brax' cheeky comment. Cheryl had enough and slapped Heath several times on the head. This caused Heath to start running from his insane mother.

Brax and Charlie were alone again. The intermezzo had certainly brought back a smile to their faces. Charlie, who was still seated, looked Brax straight in the eye. 'So' Brax said 'What did you want to do a few minutes ago?'. 'Euh…' Charlie replied innocently 'Get out of here?'. 'Yeah, that too' Brax told her quietly whilst moving slowly towards her, still gazing into her eyes. 'But first things first though' he whispered as he kissed her with every bit of passion he had inside of him. Their lips hadn't parted for seconds, maybe even minutes until Charlie removed hers. She took his face into her hands and whispered softly 'In case you didn't you, I love you too'.

_**Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing. This is the end of 'Beginnings & Endings', however I do have an idea for a new story… I hope you will give that one a try as well… take care! Love x**_


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